It's been many year since I have seen one of these, so I don't remember if this is possible or not....
What about making a mobile out of some of them? Or maybe use them for a windchime?
The other thing I was thinking was to make a shadowbox, paint the sweet gum balls, fashion a sick below each one, and make them look like flowers? Just sthinking out loud.
Paint them orange and add pumpkin faces for Halloween, thread onto a string like garland. Or paint white and paint ghost faces on.
How about creating a shadowbox of the sea, paint the sweet gumballs and add faces for a school of puffer fish?
hee hee!